Flexible bumper



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FLEXIBLE EUEPEE Filed May 7 1923 l2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORA EEE www@

W. G. @9X

FLEXIBLE sumisa 2 Shaetsmgheet 2 Filed May 7, 1923 WILLIAM G. CSX, 0F CLEVELANB, CHIH). ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T9 THE EATON AXLE AND SPRING COMPANY, '0F',CLEV'ELAND, OHIO, `A CORPORATIQN 0E OHIO.

application led May 7,

To all whom t may Concern.'

Be it known that l, lVIUJAM G. COX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new` and useful :improvements in u Flexible Bumper', of which the following is a speciicetion.

lily main object is to provide e flexible bumper of suitable size and proportion for the larger and heavier types of automobiles in general use, and an effective bumper of that kind may be mede by assembling and connecting three strips or bars of spring metal in substantially the way herein described und more particularly pointed out in the claims, and as delineated in the 21ccompsinying drawings, in which 1,

, Figure l is e plan view of au end portion of an automobile equipped with my improved bumper, and Fiffure 2 is e perspective view of the same-parts.

Figure 3 is e perspective view of the main tending bei', endhgure l :i similar view ot one or, the Supplemental tending rails.

Figure 5 is en enlarged side view Otan end portion of en automobile frame and e vertical section of my improved bumper ettuched thereto.

Figure 6 is zt vertical section on line :fl-G of Figure l, showing one ot the coupling de vices for the rails or bers. l

Figure 7 is a perspective view oi u ooni plinr member seated within the open bend at t e reverted outer end oi themein bur;

and Figure 8 is n perspective of the coupling member itself.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the clamping plates for the rails or bars.

The' invention comprises u mein striking and supporting bar A which may be made straight or curved for a mejor portion ol its length and reverted .or doubled back :it its opposite ends to provide u single straight tending part 2 at its middle und doubled tending portions 3-',3 at its opposite ends. Each end portion 3 has its reverted rear part curved one diierent are than its -troni part to narrow and taper the ends and to pro vide e relatively small round open bend el where the bur iS reverted. The inner portion 5 of the reverted part is made straight and thenoe nent forwardly in a semi-eirele to bring its ietlextremity 6 against the rear fece et tending part 2. Registering bolt FLEXIBLE BUMPER.

1923. Serial No. 637,224.

openings 7 are provided where said parts meet and abut, and. e ptir' "of clamping plates 8 and 9, respectiveJl herring similar bolt openings permit s clampingunion to be effected between each extremity 6 and front portion 2, using bolts l0 and nuts 1l for that purpose, see Figure 5. ln addition to clamping the seid parts together, plates 8 and 9 also clamp two supplementel striking rails B and C, respectively, in parallel spaced position shove and below her A. To melie such clamping and spacing tired sind effective the front plete 8 has its. upper and lower ends flanged rearwardly to engage the top edge of supplementary rail B andthe bottom edge of rail C, and rear plate Q is provided between its ends with e pair of spaced lugs )L2-12 struck up from the body of lthe plete .and projected forwardly ebove end below e central bolt opening 13 to enthe edges of rails B and (l opposite imid-A dle ber A. Reer clamping plate 9 is lollset at its middle in respect to its liet clamping ends to permit spring clamping engagement to be mede with the rear faces o upper and lower rails Bend C which lie in the same vertical plane :is bar A forwardly vof lint extremity 6.'

Upper-end lower mils B end C are dufy plioetes and correspond in shape endlength to the front fendiii bar A, and each raiB and C is formed with closed eyes le et opposite ends thereof arxielly coincident with the rounded open bendsv 4: of ber A. A shoulderedcoupling sleeve or spool l5 is adapted to be inserted into the open side of the rounded ends 'l end to lbs snugly see-ted therein, the en-l largement-s 16 et the top sind bottomof the spool holding it from displacement vertically. Enlarge-,ments 16 also serve as specing :ind seating members for the upper and lower rails, and seperate bolts 17--17 pass through the end eyes 14 ogseid rails into screw-threaded engagement-with spools 15, thereby locliing thel seid rails securely et their' ends to the reverted ends of ber A, see Fig. 6. Ber A, is flexible in the greett degree at its middle, and more rigid but still resilient at its doubledend 3-3. The upper and lower rails are flexible in substantially the same degree their lull length, but when coupled to bei' A as described the middle portion ofthe bumper is strengthened by their addition; The tending eren e5 i portions of v*supporting wic'i-il veiticziiiy throughoutthe Jump-er, bui; .the emi :eieiti'vey siffei and mere reviews iziifm 'ziie iiiediie peximi ie iieube iii-wi: ami seii- Xiieixii' iii braced union i r, e eubeismiii diesiiiee inmn iis ieiidiiigg ende. The stmigii; as 5 aise emeiideii iiiweifiiy eance from the ends m fe- 1 vbie e'ttziehmeii e vehicie @mee d. "e'u', Widh by meme 0i any eiiii'safbe eeeiiiuent (fievice. For exemple L, i shew pair @if damping; m i' binegets D ipo the elite? faces the eide bine 'i9 0i" en ziuemeiaiie 'l' miie, igure 5 show e meiie. 'erm o c. iiieciie; seated upon .end eeeui-ed to fue pmjeciing spring hanger pov iifm if? imma. W'iien iihe bumpe ie ateehefi 'te the rear eiiii'of im euomobiie whew ii. spzeiie iiie .is moimbed beiween. the @idee el? fnhe imma, the open space between iiie ieveited 'peiieies 5 pmi/idee ampie i-oem foi? "she recepimi @i fue Lire 'opposite iii-e buiiipei" Wiie; T eiaiim is:

wie 9m e, main fender hay having le :Ei'veiiiec en@ portions Seemed at heir ex 'ie die bodyN ef the bei', suppieiiez'i'ei' iieiidei miie above and below eei eiaiiipiiig devices um'mg sind bei* o i'niy ceget'hein .ei ii lisible bimipes." ici' an. autemdini,

eempi'ieiiig :i mein fender bei. 'having re- Veiiefi eiia pmtioiis terminating' in fein imraiy beni eireimiee engaged 'with "nhe i'ezii e mf the bei', ieiiciiiig miie :bove and fi@ hei-ew ii bei, @iid means securing; said exil, mi," s emi Seid miie; jeiiiiy teaile han 'ieiiiiiie bumpei' 'for an miomobie,

veite' eieiiggeteii pm'ions et its 'rene 'feimlimting in beni; extremities engagedI with @e iiy oi? iie bei, parallel feeding miie ebeve beiew seid bara: :md ciamp- {eiriees eiibi'eeing sai-(i, .exiremii'ies and 1 eff ffiie and the said feeding f. iieiiiie Vbumper im' :ui imomobiie, iig? a mimi ienne? imi having' remende and uniing sind seis imei ber tegeiiiei. i

'5 ,Si iexibie imiiipei' im" im mitmiiobiie, eemjkfziisiiig ei main -iiffei im? imiiig ze veited exid poi-aimee foifmizig open bemie hei'ein, sepeiee eniiig iiiiie Mime emi beiow said having eyes: opporsi'e :sai open bends, smmueed iiieixliiei's Seae, 'siiiiin seid @pen bende., and melts exi'eiiiiiiig though seid mii eyes im@ screw etonne@ tiens with seid meiiiiiers,

27. A exibie bumpei: for en eueiimbiim comprising a mein feeder bai' having; re verter end peivbieiis firming @pen 'beiifie therein, sepzi'fie igen-diag miie 'pziiniieiing epeo's confined Within said open ewig, and infie exemingg tiimugii seid ieiie'yes imo screw engegemem 'wiii said speeie.

S. A iiexibie 'immpei im' an auimnehiiq comprising a main fender-bai", suppiemenmits uniting said iaiis and bei' togefeiier, om of ses@ peee having; spaced ings stench' up from iiie body there@ above and ieiow ite center adepie to sem; 'die eciges ef iiie upper and iowei' miie'zm-ci te space seid reiis epe-,xfa from die mein imi".

A, iezibie bun-ipe? for en euemobiie, eompi'ising a, main fende? bei* having deze gete ieverted e116.' portions terminating in iiefweiciiyeiitending et'rerni'iee, the main bedy of the bei" ami said extremities iiavving registeiii'ig boit-mopenings, suppiemei te feeding mils ainove and beow seid' bei, camipiiig pietes having: epaeng imi beki ing poxeciions for Said iiziis and provided 'with bei epe/minne adepte@ iw iegieer with *fue beit opening/:e in the bei", aiie' boite extending: 'tiiieugii Said eeiiiige having iiii'te adaptet@ Cia-mp said @Ms ieeeiiefbiy in giegfiei. 

